WEEK 1

DAY 3 Monday 23 May 2005

A Tour of Milan

Monday started at 6am with the screech of trams stopping and negotiating the tram stop
beside the Repubblica Metro Station. The
trams plus the effects of jet lag had me walking the streets at 7am,
past the botanic gardens and alongside the railway. Passed a corner shop that
looked strangely familiar, being the Italian arm of the Australia/New Zealand
second hand shop Cash Converters (see photo below).

A brisk walk back to the hotel and breakfast - a full meal of breads, sweet pastries,
meat and cheese, as well as bacon, sausages and eggs.

The tram stop at Repubblica, viewed from our hotel window

A familiar sight - even in Italian

Huge Metro building

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for a larger image (use your browser's Back button to return to this page)

At 0930 we boarded our buses for a day tour of Milan, though the central city, past the "Needle
and Thread" sculptures that are a tribute to the city's fashion
clothing economy, then on to the racecourse (Hippodrome) to view Leonardo's Horse.

Sculpture in the centre of Milan

"The Needle & Thread" Sculpture

"The Knot" sculpture

Leonardo's Horse

To quote from the
official website
"Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned 500 years ago to construct
an
enormous bronze horse for Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, Italy. It was
to be
the largest equine statue ever built, standing 24 feet high. Leonardo's
full-scale clay model was destroyed by war and the bronze horse was
never
constructed."

The entrance to the race track - Leonardo's Horse is not easily visible
behind the gates

Looking through the gates

Close-up of the head

Our tour though Milan was led by a group of young local guides
who dressed in colourful attire so that we could spot them in the
crowds as we walked around the sights. Our guide certainly stood out, in red coat
and with large yellow sunflower.

Castello Sforzesco

From the Hippodrome we drove back past the Needle & Thread
to the Castello
Sforzesco. This castle was constructed in the 14th Century, but was
destroyed by French Forces around 1500. It has undergone various occupations and
reconstructions ever since. Part way through our walk, it began to rain and
instantly the street hawkers who had been pestering us with scarves, books and
souvenirs began pestering us with umbrellas. Their prices started at 10 Euros
but quickly dropped to 4 or 5, and we managed to buy one later for 2 Euros.

Our Milan Guide in red

Entrance to the Castle

Part of the restored castle

Relief carvings from the castle

One of many statues

Commemorative plaque

Local Police with transport

Columnade in the Castle

Within the castle courtyard

White hats were everywhere

More hats against the castle walls

The ice cream vendor did well - but 2 minutes later the rain started

Duomo and the Vittorio Emanuele Arcade

The Cathedral or Duomo in central Milan is one of the larger and more ornate in
Italy. It is reputedly the world's fourth largest church. Construction began in
1387 and continued right through to the end of the 19th century, when
restoration work began, concluding in 1966. During our visit in 2005, part of
the main facade was covered in scaffolding.
(More info....)

By the time we reached the Piazza
del Duomo it was raining steadily so our visit to the outside staircases and
spires was cancelled. We opted instead to spend the time browsing through the
shops in the Vittorio Emanuele Arcade, a Galleria full of shops and cafes. The
building itself was constructed between 1865 and 1877 and is topped by a giant
glass and steel curved roof and dome.

The Milan Cathedral (Duomo) in the rain

Vittoria galleria full of wet people. Note the High-arched glass roof

View of the glass dome at the intersection of the galleries

A note on umbrellas

With the rain came umbrellas - and all the umbrella sellers. The
umbrellas were all made in China and appeared to all be the same, bar
the colour of the fabric. They were all sprung-loaded so a push of the button
opened them in a flash. All the people walking through the Galleria were carrying
umbrellas and at the entrances you risked losing an eye as people rushed in with
umbrellas flying. The added danger became obvious as I walked through the crowd.
A young woman, immaculately dressed (as they all were) was excitedly talking on
her cellphone (as many of them did), when she mistakenly pushed the button
on her umbrella. Instantly it flew open, spiking people in all directions, and
spiking many more as the woman wrestled with both the umbrella AND her
conversation on the cellphone. Only a momentary pause in her talking enabled the
umbrella to be brought under control, much to the relief of people close by!

Stazione Centrale

By the time of our return to the hotel at 1630 the rain had
cleared and the warm sun had returned, so I walked through the Piazza Reubblica
and up to the Stazione Centrale - the Central Railway Station. This is a large,
imposing structure designed in 1912 and built by Mussolini in 1931.

Roses in front of Stazione Centrale

The reverse view - looking towards Piazza Repubblica

Dinner that evening was potato and carrot soup, fillet of salmon
with steamed potatoes and green beans, fruit salad and of course vino rosso.

The Cup Final

We had not been in Milan long before we realised that The Cup
Final was scheduled for the day after our departure. The final for 2005
was between Milan and Liverpool and the city was preparing itself for the
big event, and of course for a win. Our Hotel was ready for the event with a live
broadcast into the bar, as the brochures everywhere advertised. In case you have
forgotten, Liverpool won the Cup on a penalty shootout (3-2) after the
scores were 3-3 at full time.